Buddhist Geeks #187: Non-Meditation and the Nature of Thought (Robert Spellman)

Excellent - this is an area of my practice where I struggle sometimes. Rather than relaxing my mind and settling into spaciousness, it can feel like I am at war with the monkey mind.

Buddhist Geeks 187: Non-Meditation and the Nature of Thought

06. Sep, 2010 by Robert Spellman

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Episode Description:

“You need not make efforts to create non-conceptuality. You need not regard thoughts as a fault. And so that your practice does not succumb to famine, from the beginning have a bountiful crop. Not searching for a state that is calmly resting, vividly clear, and filled with bliss, bring into your experience whatever arises without taking it up or discarding it.” – Orgyenpa

We’re joined again this week by one of our favorite Buddhist Geeks, Robert Spellman. In our discussion with him, we delve into the often tenuous relationship that meditators have to their own thoughts. Robert shares a profound teaching from a 13th century Tibetan teacher, Orgyenpa, on how to relate to the thinking mind. He also talks about the difficulty in getting personally identified with insights, and explores what is meant by “non-meditation.” For those meditators out there who are interested in having a more empowering and healthy relationship to their own minds, this promises to be a very interesting interview.

Episode Links:

• Robert Spellman
• Orgyenpa

Transcript

Robert Spellman

has contributed 4 posts on Buddhist Geeks.

Robert Spellman is a professional visual artist and meditation teacher. Since 1993 he has been teaching painting, drawing and watercolor both privately and at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where he is a associate professor in both the visual arts and religious studies departments. Teaching requires repeated examination of his life as an artist. This has been edifying: a greater sense of purpose is emerging. In 1996 painter Joan Anderson and Robert co-founded Mountain Water, an artists’ retreat in rural southern Colorado where they continue to explore the interface of artistic disciplines and meditation. The artistic forms that evolve over centuries contain the wisdom of a culture. When these essential forms are learned and embodied, their infinite reconfiguration provides up-to-date richness, clarity and guidance for oneself and others on the most profound levels.

Website: RobertSpellman.com

Tags: Buddhist Geeks, #187, Non-Meditation and the Nature of Thought, Robert Spellman, Vince Horn, Orgyenpa, Buddhism, meditation, mind, thoughts